


Thaw

by mosylu



Series: Cisco Ship Week [3]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Cisco is everybody's little brother, Ciscoshipweek, Gen, because if the people you love can't give you shit, post Killer Frost, well who can
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2015-04-11
Packaged: 2018-03-22 07:13:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3719884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mosylu/pseuds/mosylu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seems like Caitlin's lost her sense of humor these days. Maybe Cisco can find it. Written for Cisco Ship Week.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thaw

**Author's Note:**

> Wait, what? I wrote a Killervibe story that didn’t end in smoochies? I know. I know! But most of my ongoing stories are still under construction, and this little moment occurred to me.

“I’ve got all the data,” Caitlin said over Cisco’s phone and Barry’s headset. “I’ll start analyzing. Are you going to run any more tests?”

“No, I think we’re on our way back,” Barry said.

“Fine. See you soon.” She hung up without saying goodbye.

Cisco put his phone away, shoulders sagging. It was strange passing all this intel on to Caitlin through the cloud, when she once would have driven out here with them and hung around, mumbling about stress fractures, while Barry tested out his fighting capabilities on an open range.

But she couldn’t leave Star Labs right now. Not safely, for her or for anybody she came in contact with. Two weeks of horrible hypothermic deaths all over the city was enough for everybody, thanks.

He was working on a suit for her, some kind of something with little solar panels and the material they used in space blankets to retain her body heat for her, but it wasn’t even to a beta stage. She had to stay in the sweltering jungle of her office and the little apartment they’d built for her, connected to it.

He sort of wondered if she preferred it that way.

“It’s weird having her back,” Barry said.

“Mmm.”

“I mean, she’s super-professional these days. You notice?”

“Oh yeah,” Cisco said sadly.

Caitlin had always been pretty businesslike. It was her style. But now, ever since all the Killer Frost stuff, she’d backpedaled all the way to how she’d been when Barry first woke up. Brisk, professional, no smiles, no relaxation. Just work.

He missed all the progress they’d made. She never even laughed anymore.

He picked up his phone and dialed again. “Hey, Cait,” he said when she answered.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, nah, nothing. I just called because Barry and I are gonna hit the drive-thru here in a moment.”

Barry looked over, raising his brows. Cisco gave him the little wink-grin-head-jerk that meant “Trust me, I’m going somewhere with this.” Barry shook his head, looking skeptical.

“So I wanted to see if I could bring something back.”

“No, thank you.”

“You sure?”

“I already ate lunch.”

“Doesn’t have to be big. Like fries. Or maybe … a Frosty?”

Barry’s mouth fell open.

Caitlin made a strangled sound. Cisco waited, biting his tongue. He wanted to laugh, but he also wanted to grab the words back. Had he been gambling too much that the Caitlin he knew was in there somewhere, buried under the layers of what she was and what she’d done?

She burst out laughing.

He laughed, too, giddy with relief, too much and too long for the stupidity of the joke, but she was gasping with giggles, and even Barry, who could hear through the speaker, was grinning.

“Cisco, you jerk!”

“Maybe I’ll get one. Because you could keep it cold for me.”

“Okay, just for that, you’re getting me the biggest chili they have. And make sure it’s still hot.”

“Ma'am, yes, ma'am!”

She was still laughing when she hung up.

FINIS


End file.
